Information war: Dueling media startups crowdfund opposing views on Russia




Russia vs USSA - Round 5, fight!



Washington says Moscow has a propaganda machine. Moscow says Washington owns American corporate media. Viewers and readers don't know what to believe any more. Something's got to give.

What if you woke up one morning to find America and American ideas in Russia, and irony like a Russian media mogul in America? What if a founding principle of American democracy, like freedom of the press somehow became a bone of contention between two countries?


Good morning, it just happened. Russian journalist and media startup notable Vladimir Yakovlev is crowd funding an alternative news source aimed at "countering the Russian state propaganda machine. Yakovlev, who lives in the US now, was the founder of Russian newspaper , and one of the Perestroika publicists who created Russian newspeak back in the 1990s.


What makes this news so interesting though is the twist of the fates that lead an American entrepreneur in Moscow to do exactly the same thing, only in reverse . Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Charles Bausman is editor and publisher of Russia Insider. This alternative news outlet fixated on Russia, "." I spoke with Bausman earlier today on his long-range intentions for the new media product. Here's what he had to say;



"We've seen a flood of traffic onto the site which means there is a huge untapped demand which is not being served by existing media. We could easily double or triple the amount of content, and there would be no let-up in traffic, in fact it would probably increase. This can go way beyond Russia, cover other countries, other subjects - the Middle East, NSA leaks, US domestic issues, you name it."




© Sott.net

Charles Bausman, the pro-Russian American of 'Russia Insider' (left), and Vladimir Yakovlev, the pro-American Russian founder of 'Kommersant'



Considering the current state of east-west détente and dialogue, perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised at these developments. I've witnessed a feverish litany from many readers over misinformation growing stronger these last months. The recent death or Russian political activist Boris Nemtsov, it's just the latest provocative moment in a media circus the likes of which we've never before seen. Invasions, the downing of a Malaysian passenger liner, Vladimir Putin stricken with everything from cancer and autism to insanity, news has become a tabloid nightmare for many. The drum beats from both directions, droning PR hype, sabers rattling continually; it's frankly scared a few million people to death.

What's far worse though, is the dumbfounding effect of mainstream media in total. Most people simply know not what to believe, and most feel utterly helpless. So it seems clear, for better or worse, these two media men have their fingers on the pulse at least. We're in an information war where something has to change, between the people; business, and government could be broken permanently. The last thing the world needs more of now is chaos. As the legendary American linguist, philosopher and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky puts it:



"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume."



This east-west and truth versus fiction divide we're witnessing is certainly nothing new. However, the gravity and volume of today's messages however, has raised many red flags. Vladivostok to Seattle, news today seems largely grounded in business or political strategies. If we are honest, this "beauty contest" between Yakovlev's and Bausman's mainstream substitutes, it has to happen sooner or later. It matters not from which side of the isle or ocean one gets information, nor does it matter who owns the pageant winner.

Looking at the two men's media enterprises crowd-funding efforts as I write this, the battle for alternative media loveliness stands with Russia Insider having collected some $14,000 in donation votes, and Yakovlev's most recent citizen voice at $13,000 plus contributions on Kickstarter.


I think we're in for a media shakeup of astronomical proportions, and this is justifiable for hundreds of millions of media consumers out there. As one colleague told me yesterday, "." To be sure, when I woke up the other day the last thing I expected to hear was nationalism, media, and ideals turned up-side-down. America meets Russia in a universal pageant where the contestants are swapped. This is an interesting, if scary, time.


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